Bedstead-fastening



rails.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT ormon.

SIMEON HOVEY, OF PAINESVILLE, OHIO.

BEDSTEAD-FASTENING.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 6,674, dated August 28, 1849.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SIMEON HovEY, of Painesville, in the county of Lake and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Device for Securing the Rails of Bedsteads to Their Posts, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactv description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of one rail connected with the post, the portion of the latter above the sockets being removed, Fig. 2 is a view of one rail withdrawn from the post, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the tenon on a smaller scale, and Fig. 4; is a view of the socket iron.

The nature of my invention consists in inserting in each post of a bedstead a socket iron-with which the tenons of two adjacent rails are engaged.

In the drawing, A represents a section of a bedstead post with my socket iron in it.

B, B are the extremities of two adjacent Into each extremity of each rail a tenon C is inserted. This tenon (Fig. 3) has the form of a short cylinder a uniting two portions of unequal length, whose general section is a half circle. The longer extremity E is received within the rail, the cylinder and shorter semi-cylindrical extremity E project beyond it and are received in the socket in the post A. The semi-cylindrical extremity of the tenon Within the rail is attached by rivets or similar means to a corresponding semi-cylindrical piece of wood, which can be firmly glued in the rail. The cylinder a entering the socket of the post sustains the weight of the bed on the rails. The semi-cylindrical extremity of the projecting portion of the' tenon has one edge notched at I) to engage with the socket iron D. My socket iron (of which Fig. 4 is a perspective view) is of an elbow form, its vertical cross section would be a half circle with its diameter horizontal, if it were not necessary to remove about one quarter of its breadth from the outer edge to eHect its introduction in the bed post. When in place its extremities are at a Suthcient distance within the post to admit the cylindrical portions of the tenons without their coming in contact with the socket iron. Near each extremity of the socket iron a notch c is made in its inner edge, corresponding with that portion of the tenon projecting beyond the notch b near its eX- tremity; when the tenon is-inserted in the post and the rail to which it is attached turned inward, this projecting portion of the tenon engaging in the notch 0 in the socket iron firmly secures the rail to the post. One or both notches have their faces inclined to the direction in which the rail is turned, and the rails are furnished with pins F to which the cords are attached so that the pressureof the bed tending to turn the rails will draw them closer to the post, thus making a close and firm joint, and preventing the entrance of vermin.

To apply my socket iron, bore a hole of sufficient diameter to admit the tenon in each side of the post to which a rail is to be` 'wooden plug at the outer edges of the iron.

I am aware that metallic tenons have been previously used, and that various plans have been devised for securing them to the post, but all are objectionable because they require a very nice adjustment to make the rail tenons fit them with exactness whereas in my arrangement all that is necessary is to bore the holes at the proper distance from the inner angle ot' the post, and the iron must come into its proper place. In addition to this the elbow form of the socket iron gives it a rm hold in the post, so that either tenon is as firmly held when the other is withdrawn as if it was secured in a separate socket iron.-

I claim- The mode of holding in the block of metal D containing the catches or locks into which the contiguous ends of the rails are locked, whereby the metal has a` firm bearing against the wood of the inner corner 'of the post on whichever rail the strain of the pulling comes, as described and represented.

In testimony whereof I have hereuntO subscribed my name.

vsIMEoN HovEY.

Witnesses:

E. S. RENNICK, P. H, WATSON. 

